Chapter 25: Deadly Infection 10
When it rains, it pours.
The epidemic wasn’t over, and now the power was out.
At night, Chu Yian vaguely heard someone crying. The suppressed, desperate sobs were carried far by the cold wind in the darkness.
Game Day Eleven
Due to the power outage, Chu Yian had to consider the issue of food storage. Frozen items could last another day or two, but fresh items would spoil if not eaten.
Chu Yian took out the large piece of pork belly and beef, thinking of preparing them differently.
The beef could be roasted dry to make beef jerky.
For the pork belly, she would separate the lean meat and render the fat into lard.
Chu Yian looked at the small amount of fat she had cut off and suddenly regretted not buying more fat. Rendered lard, if stored carefully, could last a long time at room temperature.
She scooped out the fried pork cracklings and sprinkled a layer of sugar on them. This method was inspired by Peking duck skin, and it tasted… decent.
The lean meat was stir-fried with small peas.
To process the pork and beef, Chu Yian was busy in the house for a while.
Just then, the sound of vehicles echoed outside the residential area gate.
Chu Yian put down what she was doing and looked down, only to see three black cars driving in from outside.
The three cars stopped by the road downstairs, and over a dozen people got out. Each of them wore long sleeves and pants, their heads covered tightly. Each person held a long iron rod, then immediately ran towards the building opposite.
With two loud bangs, the main door of the opposite building was smashed open.
Over a dozen people swarmed into the opposite building, and immediately, screams and cries for help came from the first floor.
Thugs, bandits!
Chu Yian turned off the gas stove and cautiously peeked out the window. The buildings blocked her view, and she could only occasionally see figures flashing past the window.
Those people continuously robbed several households in that building, carrying a lot of daily necessities and medicines into their cars, then drove off.
“Robbery, oh my goodness! Home invasion!”
“Is there still any law? Are these people not afraid of being punished by the law once the epidemic passes?”
The people in the group who had not been robbed were all shocked and scared, verbally condemning the bandits.
“Oh my god, it’s terrifying. They were robbing downstairs from me just now, it almost reached my home.”
“Where did those people come from? How many households did they rob?”
“Building 2 was robbed up to the third floor, which is nine households.”
Someone informed, “I don’t know where they came from. Their license plates were removed, and their whole bodies were covered tightly. They robbed as soon as they entered the house, and if anyone resisted, they were beaten.
Now several people are seriously injured, and all their daily necessities and medicines have been stolen.
I suggest everyone can show some compassion. If you have extra food and medicine, you can spare some. Let’s help each other get through this difficult time.”
As soon as this was said, the group instantly fell silent.
At this time, everyone was tightening their belts, living day by day. Where would they have extra food and medicine to give to others? It was already good enough if they had enough to eat themselves.
That person advocated in the group for a long time, and the robbed households in Building 2 also appeared one after another, asking for help. Some posted pictures of their serious injuries, others posted pictures of their elderly or children at home.
In short, everyone had their own hardships, which greatly increased people’s sympathy.
Chu Yian naturally sympathized with them. But she dared not send anything, dared not let others know that she still had abundant supplies.
“I still have a bag of rice that I can spare for them.”
“My family still has two bundles of noodles.”
“Drinks? I can spare two bottles of drinks. It’s not much, but I hope it helps us get through this difficult time…”
Three or four households spoke up one after another.
“Good, good, thank you everyone. Please contact me privately, and just leave the items at your door. We will come to pick them up later and distribute them among the households.”
The group suddenly became lively.
Chu Yian looked at the messages in the group and felt a little relieved. She closed the window, turned on the stove again, and cooked the meal she hadn’t finished.
Today’s meal was pork cracklings with sugar and stir-fried lean meat with peas.
She carried the rice and dishes to the opposite door and knocked. Lu Qingyuan opened the door a little faster this time than before.
His first words upon opening the door were, “Don’t give anything to anyone.”
This made Chu Yian pause.
So what was she doing right now?
“That WeChat group, just look at it. Don’t speak in the group, and don’t give or exchange anything in it. Also, your drone, don’t fly it outside anymore.”
This was the first time Lu Qingyuan had spoken so much to her. The core idea was: don’t show your face, reduce your presence.
“Oh, oh, okay.”
Chu Yian nodded.
Perhaps it was because Lu Qingyuan had the halo from the previous round of the game, she trusted his words implicitly.
Lu Qingyuan saw her agree, reached out to take the food, and said, “Wait here.”
For what?
Chu Yian stood still, only to see him come out again half a minute later, holding a steel rod he had gotten from who knows where.
Chu Yian followed him to the closed elevator.
She looked at the elevator, then at the item in his hand, and suddenly realized what he was going to do.
“Teacher Lu, wait a moment.”
Chu Yian said, went back into the room, and took out two brand new pairs of medical gloves. She put on one pair herself and gave the other to Lu Qingyuan.
Lu Qingyuan took them, looked at her in surprise, then put on the gloves, adjusted his mask, and then used the steel rod to pry open the elevator door. It was empty outside; the elevator was currently stopped on the seventh or eighth floor.
Lu Qingyuan glanced down, then wedged the steel rod inside, ensuring that even if the power came back on, the elevator could not be used again.
After doing this, he took out two identical steel rods from the room, and with ropes, locked the staircase door on this floor.
Now this floor was almost an independent space, making it very difficult for anyone to enter, and the sense of security instantly surged.
Her sense of security, but for some families, it was different.
Night
In the darkness without lights, a piercing scream rang out, waking up the entire residential area.
“Robbery! Someone’s robbing!”
“What are you doing? Don’t take my things!”
“Damn it, I’ll fight you all!”
“Is anyone there? Please help…”
The voices were male and female, mournful and desperate. Amidst the wails and cries, the robbery continued. The neighbors who had helped each other that afternoon, at this moment, no one came to help.
It wasn’t until much later that the sounds in the building gradually faded.
Occasional sobs drifted with the wind, and the surroundings became quiet. A long time later, someone in their residential area’s WeChat group finally sent a message.
“The family who sent supplies yesterday afternoon was robbed.”
There was no sound of people leaving, no sound of vehicles driving away from outside.
It was done by people within the residential area.
Thinking of this, Chu Yian broke out in a cold sweat.
